


Iowa State Fair

by RomanoffonamoR



Series: Marvel Cinematic Littleverse [19]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adult Language, Age Play, Bigs and littles are known, Bobbi has Sensory Processing Disorder, F/F, F/M, Gen, Little Bobbi Morse, Little Clint Barton, Little Maria Hill, Littleverse, Marvel Cinematic Littleverse, Multi, No abuse takes place in this actual story, Non-Sexual Age Play, On Hiatus, and is possibly on the spectrum, little Natasha romanoff, or her little self is at least, references to past Little abuse, references to potential current Little abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-05-30 02:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15087335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomanoffonamoR/pseuds/RomanoffonamoR
Summary: Even though Natasha is still undercover at Stark Industries, she decides to join Clint, Bobbi, and Maria at the Iowa State Fair.*On Hiatus*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic takes place directly after "Nothing Good Ever Happens After 2AM". I realize I never actually finished that fic, but I wanted to move on before I drove myself crazy. The stuff that took place in that last unwritten chapter will be summarized and addressed in this fic, so you aren't actually missing out on any content story-wise.
> 
> Because this is something you would have found out in that unwritten chapter, I'm going to come right out and say that no, Tony wasn't inappropriate with Natty at any time during her drop. He's not that kind of Big. Clint, Bobbi, and Maria don't know that yet, hence the 'did he or didn't he?' angst present in this fic. 
> 
> I'm not quite sure how updates are going to work, if I'm going to focus solely on this fic, or switch back and forth between this and the new de-aged mirrorverse, so I'm not going to make any promises on what you might see next.
> 
> A big thank you to everyone who's still reading and commenting. I appreciate every one of your comments even if I'm sucking big time at responding to them all.

Clint was growing more and more anxious as he alternated between staring at his watch and staring at his phone. His blank phone which showed no missed calls or text messages despite the fact that Natasha was already twenty minutes late to their last minute meetup. Well, last minute on _her_ part. Himself, Bobbi, and Maria were already planning on attending the Iowa State Fair that day, but since Natasha was still undercover at Stark Industries, she wasn’t going to be able to join them this year.

Or so they thought.

Frowning as he double checked that he had cellular service, Clint thought back to the less than cryptic text message he’d received the day before. Normally when one of them were undercover they carefully code worded their messages so as not to stir the suspicions of whichever mark was being spied upon.

Natasha’s text, however, was basically “miss you, want to see you, 1 o'clock tomorrow?”. No mention of the fair, but Clint knew it was implied since Natasha had been complaining about having to miss it this year during their last secure video chat. He’d responded back with “sounds good, c u”, which was a far cry from what he’d _wanted_ to say, but he had to keep up appearances for the sake of her mission. Tony Stark was no doubt monitoring her phone, so less was definitely better.

Not better for him, though. He’d spent all night tossing and turning, trying not to picture what must have happened to his lover and best friend. Natasha _never_ compromised a mission for personal reasons, so whatever was going on had to be worse than anything she’d experienced before. Which was terribly unsettling to think about, knowing the horrors she’d already been through in her short life.

Bobbi and Maria had been no less concerned when he’d shared the news with them earlier that morning before they’d piled into the car to head out to the fair. But underneath their concern was undeniable excitement. It had been a long two months, and Natasha’s absence truly felt like a hole in all of their hearts. It would be good to see her, even if it came at some unspeakable cost to her body or her mind.

“Cliiiiiiiiint… This is boooring. Can’t we waits for sissy _inside_ the park?” Bobbi whined as she tugged on her backpack leash. From where they were standing just outside the main entrance they could easily hear the music and the laughter from those having fun inside.

Sighing, Clint tightened his grip on the Little’s leash and shook his head. “You wouldn’t want _us_ going inside if we were waiting for _you,”_ he chastised, even though he did feel bad about keeping the girls from having fun.

It was Ria’s first time at the State Fair, and he could see that she was also growing impatient, even if she’d never actually say so out loud. At least she wasn’t tugging on her own leash. As strong as Clint was, he didn’t think he’d be able to hold _both_ of them back if they really wanted to get away from him.

Bobbi rolled her eyes defiantly at his answer, but didn’t try to counter his argument. Instead she began to jump up and down and flap her hands like a bird. It wasn’t one of her “I’m having issues” stims, but was something she did when she was full of energy and had no other way to release it. If she weren’t dropped she’d have probably begun practice sparring, or done jumping jacks or something.

Ria began to mimic Bobbi’s actions, twirling herself in a little circle as she giggled between deepening breaths. If Bobbi noticed her copy cat she didn’t seem to mind. This wouldn’t have been the first time one of her younger Sisters joined in with her stimming, effectively turning it into a game. Ria and Natty were astute though, and only ever did it when Bobbi was understimulated, not when she was dealing with her more extreme sensory processing issues and the distress those brought about.

Clint watched the two of them in amusement for half a minute before checking his phone once again. This time when he turned the screen on the “incoming call” notification suddenly appeared and he almost dropped his phone in his frantic attempt to answer it.

“Nat? You okay? Where are you?” he asked, turning from the girls so he could scan the parking area for any sign of her. There were a handful of cars circling the grassy field looking for spots closer to the main entrance but he didn’t see anyone walking towards them just yet.

Bobbi and Ria had stopped their hopping when he’d answered the call and were both staring at him intently, eagerly. They wanted to get inside and have fun, their Little selves not having the same level of concern for their Sister as their adult selves had for their girlfriend. It wasn’t that they didn’t care about Natasha’s wellbeing, they were just unaware that something really bad might have happened to her.

Clint didn’t have that luxury. Even if he were dropped his Littleself was old enough to understand these things. Bobbi and Ria were eight and six, so to them Natasha’s delay in arrival was simply an inconvenience to their day, and not an indicator of something awful having happened.

“Nat? You alright? Are you here? Or did something happen and you’re still in California?” Clint asked as his own anxiety began to rise the longer his girlfriend remained quiet on the other end of the phone.  

Bobbi’s eyes narrowed as she seemed to catch on to his rising concern. Not wanting to worry her and potentially set off an anxiety attack, he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill, waving it in front of her face to refocus her attention. “Hey, why don’t you and your Sister go get us some snacks? Just show the guys at the gate your bracelets as you pass. Nat and I will meet you inside in a few minutes, okay?”

Bobbi eyed him skeptically for a few moments before ripping the money out of his hand. “Only twenty dollars? We’s can’t buy anythings with that!” she protested, placing her hands on her hips in outrage. Behind her Ria copied the motion, and if Clint weren’t freaking out internally he would have laughed at the image.

Reaching back into his pocket, he pulled out another twenty and handed it over Bobbi’s head to Ria, the Little looking suddenly delighted at being tasked with the responsibility of holding some of the money. Bobbi scrunched her nose at him but didn’t complain any further. Twenty dollars each was more than enough to buy whatever sugary confection they desired and then some.

“Make sure you hold your Sister’s hand so she doesn’t run off and get lost,” Clint instructed as he pressed his phone between his ear and shoulder so he could use both hands to unsnap the leashes from the girl’s animal backpacks. “I mean it Ria. Bobbi’s really squirrely like that. Hold onto her _tight._ If she does get away from you, call me immediately, okay? You won’t be in trouble, I promise.”

Ria nodded her head with all the seriousness a six year old could muster. “I’m faster than her,” she offered, cracking a tiny smile as he reached out and ruffled her hair playfully. “I’ll catch her if she runs away.”

Clint nodded his head as he smiled back. He wasn’t about to explain to the girl that the issue with Bobbi taking off wasn’t a matter of speed but the fact that, despite her taller than average stature, she somehow managed to blend in ridiculously well with a crowd. Her and Natty both. _Spies._ Gotta love ‘em.

“Alright, we’ll meet you girls inside real soon,” Clint said as he quickly pressed a kiss to Bobbi’s cheek and Maria’s forehead before gently pushing them in the direction of the fair’s entrance. He was internally starting to panic since he still couldn’t hear anything on the other end of the phone. Doing his absolute best not give anything away, he waited until the girls disappeared through the gate and then immediately pulled the phone from his ear and put it on speaker.  

“Nat, I’m gonna track your phone. Stay wherever you are, okay?” As he started to pull up the software needed to find her a tiny whimper came through on the other end of the line. “Natty?” he asked, his pointer finger frozen in place above his phone’s touch screen. A second, similar sounding noise was all the confirmation he needed that he wasn’t dealing with his girlfriend’s adult self.

“Natty, I’m on the way baby girl. I’m going to find you. You’re gonna be okay, I promise.” He finished opening the software and quickly typed in his SHIELD access code. Coulson would be alerted to his unsanctioned use of the program but he honestly didn’t care. What was an official write up when his partner’s life was potentially at stake? If Natasha had driven herself while dropped, or on the verge of a drop, then something terrible had _definitely_ happened to her.

It took the software a painful 7.8 seconds to locate Natasha’s cellphone and like a shot he was off and running in the direction of the ominous red dot on his phone’s screen. “I’m coming Natty. I’m coming,” he panted as he weaved his way through row after row of vehicles. The parking lot hadn’t seemed so large when they themselves had been circling around looking for a spot.

As he neared the very back of the specially designated field his phone began to beep, indicating he was growing nearer to his target. Following the beeps now more than the vector map he finally spotted a dark blue Toyota Corolla parked in a row all by itself. Behind the steering wheel sat his girlfriend, and despite the silence on the other end of the line, she very clearly was crying.

Exiting out of the program, he shoved his phone into his pocket and sprinted the last few yards to the vehicle, skidding to a halt at the driver’s side door. “Natty! I’m here baby girl, I’m here,” he shouted as he reached for the door handle and yanked it open.

Despite Natasha’s adult clothing she very clearly _was_ dropped and she wasted no time in reaching for Clint as soon as the door was opened. Dropping to his knees in the dirt, he first unbuckled her seatbelt and then helped her to climb out of her seat and into his waiting arms. It was a little awkward with him kneeling on the ground but they made it work, and within moments she was curled against his chest with her tear stained face tucked against his neck.

“Oh Natty, honey, it’s okay. I’m here. Your Big Brother is here. I’ve got you,” he cooed, rubbing the Toddler’s back as she switched from mostly silent sobs to heartbreakingly loud ones. Thank god she had parked in Bumfuck Egypt and not somewhere more crowded where others might have seen them. It was illegal for a dropped Little to drive and the last thing Clint wanted was some nosy old busybody calling the cops on them.

Natty cried for a good five minutes before her sobs began to soften, a clear indication that she was tiring herself out. Clint waited as patiently as he could, wanting her to release as much of her emotional distress as possible before she potentially woke back up as an adult. It was highly unusual for a Little to suddenly shift back to being an adult, outside of a life or death situation that is, but Natasha was nothing if not unique and Clint knew she had a much harder time letting go when she was aged up than she did when she was dropped.

When she’d finally stopped sobbing and began to pull away she was still her Littleself and Clint breathed a much needed sigh of relief. As badly as he wanted to find out what had happened to his girlfriend, he knew she’d be much better served if she stayed Little for the next few hours. Emotionally speaking, at least. Clint had no idea if she were hurt _physically,_ but that was a risk they’d just have to take. Though he was pretty confident he’d be able to assess her physical condition once he got her up and moving around.

Actually, since she wasn’t already wearing her Little clothing he’d have to help her get dressed. As stomach churning as the thought was, changing her into a diaper would be the perfect opportunity to find out if Tony Stark really _was_ that kind of Big. As quickly as the thought came to him he forced it away, not sure he would be able to hold it together if he dwelled on the possibility for too long. He was seriously regretting sending Bobbi and Ria away now. Even though they were dropped he could have really used the emotional support of their presence right about now. Then again, if something really had happened to Natasha, maybe it was best if they weren’t there to witness him finding out.

“Did you bring any of your Little things?” he eventually asked as he helped the Toddler to stand before him. Once she was solidly on her own two feet he used the car door to help pull himself upright as well. “Where’s your diaper bag, Natty?”

The Little looked stricken at the question and a fresh wave of tears began to pool in the corner of her eyes. _Shit._ Backpedaling, Clint reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’ve got some stuff for you in our car. I wasn’t sure if you’d be making an appearance but I’m always prepared, right?”

Natty nodded her head slightly before turning and pressing her face into his armpit. If the situation weren’t so potentially dire Clint would have laughed at the action. Instead he just pressed a comforting kiss to the top of her head and carefully shut her car door. The keys were probably still in the ignition but that was fine since he had no intentions of letting his girlfriend drive it again. He’d call the rental company later and offer to pay to have someone come and pick it up.

“Is there anything in the car that you want or need?” he asked, eyeing the interior carefully for any sign of personal items. Other than a half finished bottle of water on the passenger seat it looked entirely empty.

Natty shifted a little in his arms, pressing herself against his side as she turned her head and rested her cheek against his chest. She grunted softly in the back of her throat and reached down to pat gently at her oversized sweatshirt pocket.

Clint reached across to where she was indicating and carefully slipped his hand into the fabric, his fingers immediately coming into contact with her cell phone. He gently slid the object out of its hiding spot and did a brief inspection of the unfamiliar leather case.

It was kind of like a wallet, with one side housing her phone and the other side containing her fake ID and an assortment of mostly bogus credit cards. It was incredibly convenient and organized and nothing at all like Nat’s typical day to day carry, which usually involved an overfilled across the shoulder bag, or just simply the use of his or Bobbi’s own much larger pants pockets.

“Is this Natalie’s?” he asked, even though it was clearly obvious it was her cover’s wallet. Which made sense seeing as she was still technically undercover. Was still technically on a mission. _Shit._ Coulson was so gonna chew his ass out when he returned to DC. There was no way Tony Stark wasn’t aware of her coming to see them. Damnit, now _he_ felt like he was part of the mission. Did Natasha say anything about the three of them to the billionaire? Would it be out of character for her to have three partners?

Then again Bobbi and Maria were dropped, so if someone _was_ spying on them all they would see were three Little’s who were clearly very close to each other, and being Siblings while dropped didn’t always translate to being romantic partners while adult. He could probably get away with pretending _he_ were involved with Nat, simply because it was his cell phone she’d texted and not theirs.

Natty didn’t respond to his question and so he simply slipped the phone into his back pocket for safe keeping. He’d put it under the seat when they got to their car. He wasn’t about to carry it around with him knowing that it was likely recording everything they said. “Come on sweetheart. Let’s get you changed. My car’s this way,” he nodded his head towards the front of the parking lot.

Taking a step forward, Clint was startled and very nearly tripped when instead of walking with him Natty dug her heels into the dirt and stubbornly shook her head. He knew his girlfriend’s Little side well enough to instantly understand what the issue was and he cringed internally at the potential reasons why she was refusing to walk on her own.

“Up?” he asked, reaching out and gripping the girl around the waist as soon as she nodded her head. It didn’t take much effort to lift her onto his hip, and once she was settled and holding on tightly to his neck he began to make his way through the rows of vehicles towards his own parked car.

It took almost ten minutes to make the journey, though a quarter of that time was spent simply trying to remember what his rental car looked like. In the end he used the car’s electronic remote to cause it to beep and eventually located it that way.

Once he’d unlocked the doors he opened the back passenger one and carefully set the Little down on the seat. “I’ll be right back, I need to get your stuff out of the trunk,” he explained, disappearing around the back end of the vehicle before she could respond with potential tears. He was quick though, grabbing her pre-packed diaper bag and closing the trunk as softly as he could so as not to scare her.

“Hey, I’m back, I’m here,” he soothed, dropping the diaper bag in the footwell and then leaning forward and placing a kiss to his Little Sister’s forehead. And then to her nose, which got her to giggle quietly as she rubbed at the wetness. “Can you lay back for me? We need to be quick. Your Big Sisters are waiting for us and they have _tons_ of snacks. Really sugary and sticky ones I’d imagine. Remember cotton candy? You liked cotton candy last year.”

He continued to talk as he helped her to lay back and then began to undress her. Despite his heart pleading with him not to open that can of worms, he gave her naked body a quick once over, checking for any signs of redness or bruising. She wasn’t flinching or otherwise responding negatively to his touch, which in the end reassured him even more than her flawless skin did. Natasha didn’t bruise easily so the absence of any marks didn’t always indicate the absence of any trauma. She _never_ liked to be touched after Cookie Jar missions, however.

Once he was satisfied that she hadn’t been assaulted he went about diapering her and changing her into a plain blue and grey onesie. It was a little chilly at the fairgrounds but he’d only had a single evening to find and throw together a bag for her. The nearest clothing store to the motel they were staying at had a terrible selection of Little wear, and the only choices for Toddlers had been the blue and grey onesie, or a garish pink and orange one.

“I’m going to put a pair of Ria’s pajama pants in your bag incase you get cold. Oh, and here,” he dug out a package of pacifiers and handed her the first one he managed to remove from the plastic wrapping. Well, first he popped it into his own mouth to clean it off and _then_ he handed it to her. “I’ll put the rest in your bag as well incase you lose that one. We’re going to need to rent a stroller so we’re definitely taking your bag with us.”

While he talked Natty simply laid there and stared at him. Every once in a while her lips would move as she played with the soother in her mouth. She looked much calmer than she did just a handful of minutes ago and Clint finally felt himself starting to relax as well. Something had still obviously happened to cause his girlfriend to compromise her mission in order to see them, but maybe, just maybe it wasn’t what he feared it to be?

Reaching down and tickling his Sister’s belly, Clint tried to push all negative thoughts away so he could focus solely on the girl in front of him. Whatever had upset her was definitely something they needed to deal with, but not now. Not while he had his three favorite girl’s with him and the entire state fair to explore and enjoy. “You ready silly girl? Let’s go find your Sisters before they eat themselves into a sugar coma.”

Natty giggled around her pacifier and reached for him, easily settling on his hip once again. Tossing her diaper bag over his other shoulder, Clint quickly closed the car door and locked it and then turned around and headed towards the main entrance to the fair.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Two chapters in one week! I'm really excited about this story, can you tell? *grin* I think you guys are gonna really like it too, even if it seems sorta angsty at first. I'm going to be introducing two more characters in either the next chapter, or the one following. One of these characters you've seen before, the other you haven't. It's going to be awesome, trust me :D

The first thing Clint did after paying for Natty’s entrance ticket was to rent her an adult sized stroller. He normally frowned on the usage of such items, preferring to have Natty walk with them like a “big girl”, or failing that, to carry her himself. But realistically he knew there was no way he’d be able to keep her on his hip the entire time they were at the fair, so a flatbed push cart with a cushion and a canopy it would have to be.

Actually, the strollers were a bit more sophisticated than that, with a molded seat lined with a comfy, thick padding that went all the way up past the Little’s head. There was an over-the-shoulder seat belt to help keep sleepy Littles in place, as well as a lap belt for added security. Clint didn’t bother with either of them, knowing Natty disliked the feeling of being restrained when they were in public. In her carseat while they drove around was fine, but in a stroller in the middle of a crowd of strangers? Not a chance.

The back of the stroller had a cubby where diaper bags or lunch boxes could be placed, and Clint wasted no time putting Natty’s things away so that they didn’t get lost. He’d learned it the hard way not to let the Little keep ahold of her own diaper bag for prolonged periods of time. If she didn’t find and gorge herself on hidden snacks, she either “accidentally lost” most of her things into the ether, or decided to play “makeup makeover” with tubes of diaper rash cream.

Clint wasn’t really worried about her misbehaving today, but he still wanted to keep her bag safe incase she lost something of Ria’s that may have found its way inside. The Six Year Old had a habit of placing her toys in her Little Sister’s bag so she didn’t have to carry them around herself. This often resulted in Natty finding and occasionally losing her precious playthings, and lord help him if they had a repeat of the Polly Pocket incident a few months back.

“You all comfy cosy down there?” he asked through the mesh canopy stroller top. The fabric was porous enough that one could easily see through it while still keeping the majority of the sun off the occupant sitting beneath. Which was a good thing since he’d forgotten to buy suntan lotion when he was last minute making up the girl’s diaper bag. Thank God the rest of them didn’t burn as easily as the Two Year Old did.

Natty glanced up through the canopy at his question and nodded her head. She had her arms held tightly around her midsection, though Clint knew it had more to do with a lack of something to hold and wasn’t an indication of any discomfort. He made a mental note to hit the midway once he’d collected the other two so he could win her a stuffed animal to play with.

“Alright, let’s go find your Sisters. They’re going to be really excited to see you, so don’t be surprised if they try to climb in there with you to give you a hug,” he cautioned, wondering now if it had been a good idea to keep their girlfriend’s dropped state from the other two. He hadn’t wanted to worry them, hence sending them off to buy sweets, but maybe showing up with their Little Sister in tow instead of their Aunt was actually somehow worse?

Clint knew if _he’d_ been dropped and was expecting to see Auntie Nat, but instead saw his Baby Sister, he’d instantly think something terrible had happened and would probably age up immediately out of instinct. It didn’t matter if he was 13 or 30, his family’s safety and happiness would always come before his own needs. And even though his Littleself had no qualms about using violence to protect his loved ones, there were some things that were just easier with the mindset of an adult. Firing a gun into a living, breathing target, for example.

Bobbi didn’t like violence while she was dropped, so if _she_ thought something were going on with her Sister she’d most definitely age up. Clint wasn’t too sure about Maria just yet, but his suspicions were that the girl’s Littleself would be way more likely to put herself on the line to help one of _them_ than she would be to help _herself._

Thankfully his worrying seemed to be for nought, since the moment he rounded the corner towards the confectionary stand and came into view of the two Littles in question, the worst thing that happened was Ria dropping her bag of popcorn in her haste to come give her Baby Sister a super gigantic hug.

“Natty!” The girl squealed as she trampled over her spilled foodstuffs and, as predicted, began to climb into the stroller alongside her Sister. “I misses you!”

Clint quickly managed to wedge his toe behind one of the strollers wheels to keep it still as Ria and Bobbi attacked it from both sides. Although the latter wasn’t so much trying to climb _into_ it as she was trying to pull Natty _out_ of it. “Bobbi, honey, don’t pull on your Sister. Come on guys, Ria, don’t squish her. You’re gonna overwhelm her.”

His warnings fell on deaf ears, however, and within moments Natty was whimpering and trying to squirm away, clearly overwhelmed from the onslaught. Realizing he needed to jump in, Clint quickly edged around the stroller and wrapped his arms around Ria’s waist, halting her attempt to squash her Little Sister with affection. “Ria, sweetie, you need to calm down. I know you’re excited to see her but Natty’s really sensitive right now. Can you be a good Big Sister and not smother your Sibling?”

Ria whined petulantly as she was removed from the stroller and set onto her feet, but didn’t attempt to climb back in once Clint had released her. “Good girl,” he praised, patting her on the head, only to frown when his hand came back covered in… was that caramel? What the hell?

Taking a step back, Clint took a second to assess the Little’s condition, only to cringe when he realized she was absolutely _covered_ in an assortment of sticky gooeyness. “How much of what you two bought actually made it here?” he asked, prodding the girl’s stomach playfully. “Cotton candy is for eating, not wearing,” he attempted to lecture, though there was a clear trace of amusement in his voice.

“I did eats some,” Ria protested as she glanced down at her shirt and pulled a few strands of the spun sugar from the fabric. “It’s yummy!” Instead of popping her find into her own mouth, she held her hand out to Clint, offering him a taste.

Even though he didn’t really like Cotton Candy himself, he still took the treat into his mouth, making all the appropriate noises that made it look like he was enjoying it. And then, just to be a little shit, he took Ria’s wrist in his hand and began to lick at her fingers in an attempt to get even _more_ of the sticky sugar from her digits.

This of course got her to squeal with laughter and attempt to pull away. “Eww!” she giggled, twisting and turning to try and remove her hand from Clint’s probing tongue. He let her go after a few moments, grinning in bemusement as Ria quickly began to rub her hand on her shirt in an attempt to clean it off. “Meanie head,” she told him once she’d managed to dry her hand, though there was just as much affection behind her words as there had been behind his actions.

Unfortunately in the few moments he had been distracted with Ria, Bobbi had successfully managed to pull Natty out of the stroller and up onto her hip. Refocusing his attention on the two of them, he moved away from Ria and over to where Bobbi was standing with a less than thrilled Toddler in her arms.

The older girl was attempting to calm her Sister with a gentle bouncing motion, something that usually worked when Natty was feeling unsettled or restless, but now was only managing to make her even _more_ distressed. “It’s okay Natty. I’s gots you,” Bobbi cooed as the girl in her arms began to whimper.

Clint knew he had to tread carefully here. Bobbi took her Big Sister duties very seriously, but had a hard time understanding that sometimes her intensity was just too much for other Littles. She wasn’t doing anything particularly overwhelming in that moment, but Natty’s emotional control had already been razor thin, so what normally wouldn’t have been an issue for the Toddler was now pushing her into meltdown territory.

“Bobbi-bird, I need you to please give me the Baby. Natty isn’t feeling very well and I think the way you’re holding her is upsetting her tummy.” He didn’t like lying to his girlfriend, but knew her dropped self would more easily understand and sympathize with an upset stomach than with whatever was actually going on with Natasha.

Bobbi pursed her lips together as she looked at him, clearly trying to decide if what he was saying was true or not. She then turned her attention on her Sister and very nearly dropped her in shock as she suddenly noticed just how unhappy the Toddler was.

Clint was already moving forward and had his arms around Natty before Bobbi could actually let her go, and quickly shifted the girl onto his own hip once again. For her part, Natty looked about ready to burst into tears; her cheeks bright red and her eyes puffy and wet. Clint placed a soothing kiss to her cheek and began to rub her back as he carried her away from the other two. He wasn’t planning on going far, just enough of a distance that Natty would hopefully feel safe enough to calm down.

“I know, I know, it’s okay,” he soothed as he walked in a circle, swaying his hips in that way mothers did while carrying fussy infants. Normally the motion worked best while standing still, but he felt the need to keep moving for his own emotional sake. He hated being so fucking helpless where his girlfriends’ emotional states were concerned.

Eventually the Toddler in his arms began to calm down and he slowed his pacing until he was simply walking softly in place. It wasn’t until Natty placed her head on his shoulder and he could feel the rest of her body relax that he carefully carried her back towards the other two.

As expected, Bobbi looked an absolute mess of emotions as he approached. She was clearly horrified that she’d upset her Sister, but also looked a bit angry as well. Probably angry with herself. She got like that sometimes when she misread social situations. At least Ria looked no worse for wear emotionally, other than the fact that she was now sitting in Natty’s stroller and didn’t appear at all inclined to get up.

Wanting to rectify the situation before it brought their day to a premature end, Clint walked up next to Bobbi and carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling the girl against his side. Thankfully Natty was holding most of her weight with her legs around his waist, so it wasn’t too much of a struggle to keep her balanced with only one arm.

“You’re a good Big Sister Bobbi. Natty loves and adores you,” he told her, before placing a kiss to her temple. Bobbi made a tiny noise in the back of her throat, as if she wanted to protest his statement but didn’t have the energy or wherewithal to do so right then. Clint sighed and pressed another kiss to the side of her head. He wasn’t sure what else he could say at that point, knowing once Little Bobbi turned “off” emotionally, she remained off until she became adult again.

He was about to suggest she switch places with Ria in the stroller for a while, in the hopes that some downtime would help her crawl out of whatever hole she was currently digging for herself inside her head. But before he could get the words together in his mouth, the Toddler in his arms was moving, shifting so she could pull her pacifier out of her mouth and stick her pointer finger inside instead.

Clint then watched, almost as if in slow motion, as Natty thrust her hand out and pressed her now saliva coated digit directly into her Big Sister’s ear!

What happened next was just as miraculous as it was hysterical. It took Bobbi almost a full second to recognize and react to the soggy intrusion, at which point her face scrunched up into the funniest, most scandalized expression he’d ever seen on the Eight Year Old. Another full second later and she was pulling away from his embrace, and subsequently Natty’s finger, only to begin bouncing up and down as she rubbed frantically at her ear.

“Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew!!” she howled, twirling as she hopped. Perhaps it was the way she was holding her head to the side, but after three spins, she accidentally lost her balance and toppled into the dirt.

Clint held his breath as he clenched up, watching and waiting to see how the Little would react to her unexpected tumble. The Toddler in his arms shifted as well, but not in trepidation. She was trying to wriggle out of his grasp, and when faced with the choice of either putting her down or accidentally dropping her, he decided to help lower her off his hip and onto her feet.

She didn’t stay on her feet for very long, but instead dropped to her knees and then began to crawl over the patchy grass towards her Sibling. Clint winced as the dirt from the dry Iowan field instantly began to coat the Toddler’s bare legs and hands. _Damnit._ He’d totally forgotten to buy hand wipes while at the store. Natty was going to be as grey as her onsie by the time they left.

“Ack!” Bobbi suddenly squealed, not having much time to prepare herself before she was being knocked down even further, this time onto her back as Natty climbed on top of her. “Natty! No!” she half laughed, half shrieked as the Toddler flattened herself out, successfully holding her down into the dirt.

Natty ignored her Big Sister’s pleas, and instead grabbed a handful of dirt and dropped it onto Bobbi’s face. The older girl at least had the presence of mind to turn her head at the last second so most of the mess landed on her neck and hair and not directly on her face. Natty wasn’t deterred though, and gleefully began smushing the dirt into her Sibling’s blonde hair.

While this was going on, Clint crossed over to the stroller to check on Ria, but also to grab his phone. He wanted video evidence of the Little’s dirt wrestling attempt to use as a bargaining chip the next time one of them complained about his own Littleself’s inclination to collect and track mud everywhere. Plus he thought their pretend battle was absolutely priceless and wanted to be able to show Coulson and Hand the next time he saw them at HQ.

“Natty all better now?” Ria’s question snapped him out of his thoughts and he paused his recording so he could properly address her.

“I think so. Maybe? We’re still going to be careful with her today, though. No bugging her to go on rides unless she offers first, alright? She might still have a tummy ache and we don’t want her to get upset again.” Even though Ria was younger than Bobbi, it was easier sometimes explaining these things to her. Or at least, he felt like she understood what he was trying to say more than Bobbi typically did. Maybe it was the fact he was trying to be subtle instead of outright explaining what the issue was? Ria seemed to pick up on subtleties just as easily as her adultself did.

“Natty hungry?” Ria then asked, cocking her head to the side. “My tummy gets owie when I don’t eat.” She rubbed at her stomach in emphasis, though Clint was certain she wouldn’t be hungry herself for _ages_ with the amount of sugar she’d just consumed. Bobbi as well.

“Hmm, now there’s a thought,” he scratched at the beginnings of stubble on his chin for a moment, attempting to analyze his own stomach. He hadn’t eaten anything since they’d left the motel that morning, so he was probably more than due for a meal, or at least a snack. He had no idea when the last time Natasha had eaten was, though judging from the lack of food wrappers in her rental car, probably not since she’d left the airport.

“I think you might be onto something, kiddo,” he eventually concluded, reaching down and ruffling Ria’s pigtails in affection. “I guess Bobbi’s not the _only_ genius in the family,” he added after a moment, knowing how much the Little enjoyed being compared to her older Sister.

Ria beamed at him brightly, not even bothering to fix her mussed up hair as she soaked in the praise.

To his left, Bobbi and Natty had finally quieted down and ceased their play-fighting, both girls laying prone on their backs as they attempted to catch their breath. Grabbing the handles of the stroller, Clint pushed Ria over to them and proceeded to help them one by one up onto their feet. Not surprisingly Bobbi was a little more sure footed than Natty, so in the end Clint bent down and hoisted the Toddler back onto his hip for the umpteenth time that day. Oh lord, he was _definitely_ going to need a long soak in a hot bath before the day was over.

“You two okay to occupy yourselves while Natty and I get something to eat?” Clint asked as he motioned Bobbi to take ahold of the stroller and then directed their small group towards a mostly vacant picnic area. “You know, the way that stroller’s shaped, it kind of looks like a _Transformer_.” It really didn’t, but Clint knew Bobbi’s Littleself well enough to know how to get her going. ‘Transformer’ was like a buzzword for her.

“OH MY GODS IT DOES!” Bobbi suddenly squealed, taking a step back to analyze the red and blue contraption. Her eyes were as wide as saucers, which, combined with the dirt still smudged all over her face and clothes, made her look very much like the geeky Eight Year Old she truly was. “RIA! RIA! WE’RE OPTIMUS PRIME!”

Clint had a split second of feeling bad for inadvertently including Ria in Bobbi’s obsession, but that feeling quickly vanished when he saw how excited the younger Little was when Bobbi began to run with the stroller, making figure-8’s and donuts as she dodged and weaved around the other occupants of the fair. Okay, so maybe that hadn’t been such a smart idea on his part, but Little Bobbi had pretty good reflexes when she was concentrating hard, so maybe it would be okay?

“BEEP BEEP MOTHERFUCKERS! I’M GONNA RUN YOU OFF THE ROAD! VRROOOOOOOOM!”

Then again, maybe not.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy the surprise characters! :D

The corndog and french flies Clint had split with Natty, while delicious, currently felt like a lead weight in the pit of his stomach. Or maybe that was just his growing anxiety? He couldn’t be too sure, since indigestion and angst felt an awful lot alike sometimes. At least Natty seemed content with her midday meal, if her ketchup coated smile was any indication.

“I’m going to run out of baby wipes at this rate,” he mused to himself as he took a fresh wipe from the travel sized package and began to clean off the girl’s mouth and cheeks. “These were meant for your hiney, not your face.”

Natty responded by grinning across at him and then burping directly in his face.

Clint wrinkled his nose briefly and then laughed. “You say that now, but what’s gonna happen when you need a new diaper? There’s no Baby changing station here, remember? I’m gonna have to use dry, carnival grade toilet paper if we run out of these before then.” He held up the rapidly diminishing pack of wipes.

Truthfully, it was kind of his fault they were running low. Instead of taking Bobbi and Natty to the restrooms to clean off the dirt from their recent wrestling match, he’d broken open the baby wipes and given them to the Eight Year Old to dish out. That had been a mistake since Bobbi had cycled through half of the package before he’d noticed how wasteful she was being and had taken it back from her.

Apparently the texture of a dirty baby wipe was microscopically different to that of a clean one, and so the sensitive Little hadn’t wanted to reuse a sheet once it made contact with her dust coated skin.

Normally he’d have been more accommodating to her needs, but at the rate she’d been going, _she_ would have needed to use dry, carnival grade toilet paper to finish the job, and that was just asking for trouble. Instead he’d just emptied half a bottle of water over each of her arms and then used his hands to gently rub off the lingering dirt.

That was almost ten minutes ago, and the poor girl was already covered once again. At least Ria remained mostly dirt free from her spot still seated in the stroller. All he had to worry about with her was the sticky, sugary mess on her clothes and quite possibly still in her hair, and baby wipes wouldn’t have made a dent in that anyways.

“Can we goes on a ride now? Pleeeeease?” Bobbi asked from her spot on the opposite side of the picnic table. She’d grown weary of playing Transformers and was now eager to dive into the best part of the fair - the rides!

Clint wasn’t up to any rides himself at the moment, not with how heavy his stomach was feeling, but that was fine. He’d have to stay back to watch Natty anyways, so what was the harm letting the two older Littles have some fun for a while? That’s the whole reason they’d come to the fair in the first place.

“Alright, but I need you not to run off okay? You need to stay by the stroller as we walk or I’ll have to put the leash back on and tie it to the handle,” Clint cautioned her as he began to pack away their things back into Natty’s diaper bag.

Bobbi nodded her head vigorously and leapt to her feet, then ran over to where Ria was sitting and began to tug on the Little’s arm to try and get her up and out of the stroller. “Come on sissy! We gets to do rides now!” she insisted, yanking a little harder when Ria didn’t immediately start to move.

Clint was about to lecture her again about pulling on her Sisters, but Ria didn’t seem distressed by the girls enthusiasm and began to climb out of the carriage and onto her feet. Which, actually, _yay._ Now he didn’t have to carry Natty in his arms anymore.

Or so he thought. As soon as he lifted her off of the bench and began to move towards the stroller, she began to whimper and cling to him, completely reverting back to her earlier emotionally agitated state. _Damnit._

“Alright, okay, you don’t have to go in the stroller,” Clint sighed as he hoisted the Little higher up in his arms and parked her once again on his hip. “You’re gonna have to do most of the holding on though since I still need my hands to push this thing.”

Natty obediently wrapped her arms around his neck and tightened her grip around his waist with her legs. Octopus mode engaged.

Turning his attention on the other two, he nodded his head towards the center of the fairgrounds where the majority of the rides were situated. “Alright you guys, lead the way. But _slowly,_ please. I’m walking for two here.”

Thankfully the girls heeded his warning and together the four made their way deeper into the heart of the fair. As they walked, Clint kept his attention split between the three girls, enjoying the differences in each of their reactions to the things they saw.

Bobbi was mostly nonplussed by the ordinary stands and stalls, having seen it all before on their countless previous trips. Her eyes, and therefor her goal, were focused solely on the assortment of traditional carnival rides that lay a hundred yards or so ahead.

Ria, on the other hand, was enthralled by absolutely everything they passed. Even the boring tents that simply tried selling you on a new brand of hog feed, or a new and cost efficient way to heat and cool your barn. Neither Ria nor her adult counterpart had any use for these services, but the energetic and creative way in which the salesmen and women were pitching their wares had her deeply engaged.

Unfortunately Natty was less than amused by the boisterous hawking of goods and opted to keep her face pressed firmly against his neck as they passed. Which was honestly fine by him. The toddler was notoriously good at suckering him into purchasing things they didn’t need, and Clint had no desire to say no to her today.

“Can we rides the big zipper one!?” Bobbi suddenly exclaimed, lurching forwards and nearly tugging Ria off of her feet. About halfway through their travels Clint had noticed the two girls had joined hands and it made something inside his heart sing to see them getting on so well. Less than a year had passed since Ria had joined their family, but it felt so completely right to him, like the girl had always been their fourth Little Sibling.

The younger Little managed to regain her balance and was now looking between the giant, imposing ride, and her Big Sister. Clint had seen that expression often enough on Natty’s face to know that she wasn’t digging Bobbi’s suggestion, but didn’t quite know how to relay this information without upsetting her. Clint took pity on the Little and shook his head, answering the question for her.

“Sorry Bobbi, that ones for adults only. It’s much too intense and scary for Littles,” he explained, hoping the girl would let it go and not mistake his words for a challenge since it wasn’t technically true. There were no rides that were off limits to dropped Littles, other than the ones they may not have been tall enough to safely ride. Bobbi was technically tall enough for every ride at the fair, but Clint had been on that particular ride before himself, and he knew without a doubt that she’d hate every single second of it.  

“How about you two start with the spinning apples? You’ll have to work together to make it go around really really fast.” He nodded his head to their right, where the less flashy and strictly horizontal ride sat. Bobbi seemed less than thrilled with the drastic decrease in coolness factor, but one look at Ria’s excited face had her nodded her head eagerly.

“Alright, you two go on ahead. Remember to show your bracelet to the workers before you-” He halted his words the moment the two bolted toward the ride, shaking his head in endearment at their enthusiasm.

*****

Almost two hours later and the two Littles were still just as excited and amused by all of the various fair rides. Ria seemed particularly fond of The Gravitron, a fully enclosed ride that spun you so fast you stuck to the walls! Bobbi’s favorite was the free fall one that shot you up super high and then dropped you down in a fraction of a second.

Natty’s favorite had always been the swings, but Clint’s attempt to coax her onto them had backfired and now he was stuck trying to calm her down for the fifth time since their day had begun. Bobbi and Ria were currently in line for the kiddie dragon coaster, which was smack dab in the middle of Thrill Town, the area devoted to the less extreme rides generally geared towards kids.

Since they were attending the fair during their designated “Quiet Day”, the area was mostly empty of the typical crowd of screaming and laughing teenagers and Littles. Quiet Day was traditionally reserved for families with very young children, for the elderly, and for adults or children with disabilities. The first time they had attended the fair they had gone on a regular general admission day and had left within a half hour due to both Bobbi and Natty growing overwhelmed and melting down. And Bobbi hadn’t even been dropped at the time.

That’s not to say that there wasn’t screaming and yelling and laughter going on currently, but the magnitude of the excitement and noise was much less than it would have been on any other day. The only major downside to them attending on Quiet Day was that most of the fair’s benches and seating were occupied by pregnant women, small children, or old people.

Not that Clint normally minded standing for long periods of time, but with Natty forever on his hip he was starting to feel a particularly unpleasant strain in the muscles of his back. It wasn’t so much that she was heavy. Clint had carried much heavier loads during missions for SHIELD. But the concentration of her weight to only one side of his body was throwing his balance off, and his natural attempt to combat this imbalance was unfortunately doing his back in.

Clint was very seriously considering climbing into the stroller with a whimpering Natty still in his arms when a voice suddenly spoke up from a few feet away. “You look like you’re about to drop that precious Little girl you’re carrying.”

Frowning in confusion, Clint turned slightly from where he was standing against the fence to the kiddie ride. He wasn’t used to people randomly talking to him, not at the fair at least. Everyone tended to be in their own little world, too consumed with themselves and their loved ones to notice what was going on with others. It’s a good think Clint wasn’t technically a spy since he would easily put himself in the same category as the majority of the fair goers.

“Huh?” he ended up replying, narrowing his eyes slightly as his SHIELD training kicked in and he began to analyze the person who had spoken up. It was an elderly woman, possibly in her late seventies or early eighties. She had dark auburn hair streaked with silvery grey strands, giving her a traditional “salt and pepper” appearance. She was smiling, but the gesture didn’t quite reach her tired, wrinkled eyes.

“I’ve been sat here the last twenty minutes watching you struggle to keep that Baby on your hip. Are you daft? Or are you just being stubborn?”

“Excuse me?” Clint guffawed, not at all expecting to be insulted by an old lady. Especially one that didn’t even know him! In his arms Natty giggled quietly and he shot her a hurt look. His Baby Sister was siding with a complete stranger against him!

“You’re excused. Now come take a seat before you both end up on the ground.” The old woman, a Big Clint now realized, scooted a few inches to her left, exposing just enough of the bench that he could now easily fit next to her without the two of them touching.

“Um, okay,” Clint glanced over his shoulder at the line leading up to the dragon coaster ride. Bobbi and Ria were about three or four turns away from getting on, which meant at least another fifteen minutes of him standing there waiting. Sighing he hiked Natty higher up his body and grabbed the stroller, dragging it behind him as he neared the bench. “Thanks,” was all he could think of to say as he took a seat.

“You’re welcome,” the old woman replied simply, smiling once again, though this time her attention was focused solely on the Toddler shifting in his lap.

Natty was sitting across his thighs with her knees just about touching the stranger. She had her head pressed against his chest and was currently peeking out from the curtain of hair that covered her face. Unlike Clint, Natasha was never _not_ in spy mode, even when dropped.

“Well aren’t you the most darling thing ever,” the woman cooed, her voice shifting nearly an octave as she tapped into her Big instincts. Or maybe her mothering ones? Grandmothering? Clint didn’t see a ring on the woman’s hand, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t married at one point. Not that one needed to be married nowadays to have kids, but Clint knew things had been different back then.

“She’s kind of shy,” he explained, adjusting his grip around the Little to hopefully make her feel more secure and less exposed under the stranger’s scrutiny. Clint understood very well that Natty didn’t need him to protect her _physically,_ but emotionally she’d never been very good at keeping herself safe.

Much to his surprise though, Natty actually pulled her pacifier from her mouth and whispered a very quiet “hi” to the woman. Clint blinked in shock and glanced down at her, gently brushing some of her hair from her face so he could get a better read on where her mind was at. Was she finally coming out of her self imposed shell? Or was she just responding to the Big because she thought she _had_ to?

“Oh you _are_ precious aren’t you? It’s been so long since I’ve interacted with a Little as young as you. Jamie, my Little boy, he was also in nappies. He was two, and I’ll tell you a secret - he didn’t much like crowds either.” The woman stage whispered this last part, smiling almost conspiratorially at Natty. “His alternate self was a former POW so it was understandable. He would have hated coming to the fair. Now _Angie_ on the other hand, she was precocious in both her states. She used to love coming here with the family.” The woman finished with a barely perceptible sigh.

Clint could sense that both Littles in question were no longer alive, so wasn’t quite sure what to say in response. He was nowhere near as good at awkward social situations as Natasha was. Better than Bobbi, possibly. Maybe? Oh who was he kidding. There was a _reason_ he used a long distance weapon and preferred to be on rooftops sniping instead of spying.

Natty also seemed to pick up on the old woman’s emotional state and suddenly began to pull herself away from Clint’s protective embrace, her body leaning towards the elderly Big as she reached her hands out in the universal sign for “pick me up”.

“Oh my word, are you trying to-? May I?” The Big asked, glancing now to Clint as her hands lifted a few inches from where she’d had them folded in her lap. She was clearly wanting to reach for Natty, but apparently wanted to ask his permission first. Clint appreciated the thoughtfulness. He wasn’t sure how his body would react if someone suddenly grabbed his Baby Sister from his lap. Pulling a gun on an old woman would probably get them banned from the fair for life.

“Do you want to give the nice old lady a hug?” he asked the Toddler, loosening his grip around her torso when she nodded her head. Far be it from him to keep the girl from something she wanted, even if that something was a strange woman’s embrace. Clint highly doubted this Big had any ill intentions toward his Sister, but he kept his hand near the waistband of his jeans just incase.

Needing no further permission or prompting, Natty carefully crawled out of Clint’s lap and into the old woman’s, turning her body so she was now facing him. The Toddler pushed her hair out of her face and sucked a few times on her pacifier, her eyes glancing briefly to Clint’s before she rested her cheek on the woman’s shoulder.

She was cuddling a stranger, and Clint had no idea what to do about it. Should he be glad she wasn’t upset anymore? Or be concerned that she was just using the Big to distract herself from her internal angst? The pheromones that some Bigs gave off could easily give an emotional Little a chemical high. Was Natty “drugging” herself so she didn’t have to deal with whatever was going on inside of her?

“Aunt Peggy! Who is that? What are you-? Why are you-? Wait a second, Barton? Romanoff?!” Another new voice interrupted, though this one wasn’t unfamiliar to Clint. Unexpected, but not unfamiliar.

“Carter!?” Clint exclaimed, his eyes growing wide in surprise. “Fancy meeting you here.” It wasn’t fancy, it was downright suspicious. What were the odds that the other agent had decided to attend the exact same fair on the exact same day? Is that why the old woman had asked him to sit down? Was she an agent too? Hold on a second, did she say _aunt_ Peggy? As in, aunt Peggy Carter? _Agent_ Peggy Carter?

Oh god, Clint had almost pulled a gun on the original founder of SHIELD! Forget being banned from the fair for life, he might have almost just _lost_ his life!

 _“Breathe,_ Barton. You’re gonna pass out if you continue holding your breath like that,” Sharon Carter instructed as she patted him on the shoulder. She’d moved slightly behind and off to the side of him, strategically in position to intercept his sidearm if he instinctively reached for it. He didn’t, but only because his mind was still too caught up in the fact that he was sitting just inches away from a literal living legend.

“Holy shit, I can’t believe you’re _The_ Peggy Carter,” he finally breathed, his chest deflating as he released all of the air he’d been holding in.

 _“Language,_ Clint,” Sharon warned as she removed her hand from his shoulder and flicked him in the ear.

Clint flinched at the pain and quickly moved the hand that had been hovering at his side up towards his head so he could rub the sting away. “Jesus Sharon. Do you treat the Strike Team like that even when _they’re_ not dropped?” he asked, honestly curious as to her answer. It amused him greatly to picture Rumlow getting his ears flicked every time he cursed around his occasional Big teammate.

Sharon half laughed, half snorted as she crossed back in front of Clint and over to her aunt. “Of course I do. You’ve worked with the guys, you know what they’re like. There’s a _reason_ our gym has two naughty corners,” she responded with clear amusement in her voice. Though below the humor lay a hint of something else. Fondness? Maybe?

“Yeah, I’ve worked with Rumlow before. Can’t say I’m a fan. Kudos for keeping him in line, though.” Clint glanced towards Natty, knowing she had a particular dislike for the man in question. The Toddler didn’t seem to be listening to their discussion though. Her eyes were closed as she continued to snuggle her face into Peggy Carter’s neck.

“Who said anything about keeping him in line? You don’t get sent to the naughty corner when you’re being _good.”_ Sharon smiled conspiratorially at him and he couldn’t help but grin back.

“Hmmph. All this talk about naughty corners and punishment. You’d think SHIELD were run like a prison these days,” Peggy scoffed, as if the thought offended her personally.

Clint smirked at the idea. “Wait a second, if SHIELD is a prison, does that mean Fury’s the Warden?”

Sharon laughed at that and nodded her head. “Oh god, yes. And Hill is the Deputy Warden, while Coulson and Hand and the rest of them are the correctional officers. It makes so much sense now. Except, you know, for the part where they have us go out and kill people instead of making license plates.”

If Clint weren’t suddenly frozen in fear he would have cracked up at the idea of Coulson as a correctional officer. Because seriously, how far from the truth was that? I mean sure, he got you to do what he requested, but never as a result of threats. You followed Coulson’s orders because you _wanted_ to, not because you had to. He was more like a beloved supernanny than a feared prison guard. Oh man, he so had to share that amusing image with Bobbi and Nat later.

But back to his immediate dilemma. He’d totally forgotten that Hill - _Ria_ \- was with them! Sharon didn’t know about the girl’s status and the two Littles were due any second to return from their ride!

“Seriously, Clint, do you have these internal panic attacks often? I don’t think I even said anything to trigger it this time,” Sharon asked with growing concern, though she didn’t move from her spot next to her aunt to come touch him this time. Which was good. Clint didn’t need a worried Big trying to comfort him just now.

What he needed was to figure out how he were going to excuse both himself and Natty in a way that didn’t elicit either of the two’s suspicions. If Natty had still been in his lap he’d have used the excuse of needing to change her, but since she was still sitting with Peggy Carter that wasn’t going to work. So what could he do? _Think Clint, think!_

“Wow, speak of the devil. What’s Deputy Warden Hill doing here? And with Agent Morse no less?”

Oh fuck! It was too late! Clint swiveled in his seat and watched in mounting horror as the two Littles came bounding across the field towards them, both with enormous smiles on their slightly flushed faces.

“Uh…” he stammered, leaping to his feet in a desperate attempt to block the newcomers from Sharon’s view. She’d already seen Hill, but maybe she hadn’t _seen_ seen her yet? If he could just signal to the Little that she had to act like a Big again, then maybe her secret wouldn’t be revealed? As long as Ria didn’t say or do anything completely out of character-

“Oh my gosh!! Mrs Weasley!? Is that you!?”

_Fuck._


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Sorry for disappearing on you all. It's been a rough two months. I had to put my cat to sleep and then quit my job and decided to go back to school. I haven't felt like writing all that much lately. For those that don't know, I do have a tumblr - Littleverse.tumblr.com - where I sometimes post updates to my life or writing schedule. Not often, but it's at least something right?
> 
> I've had this chapter sitting on my computer for over a month now and even though it sorta ends abruptly I'm gonna post it anyway in the hopes that seeing some comments or reactions will reignite my passion for this series. It was never really abandoned, but I'm sure you all know what it's like to just lose your drive to create something, even if it's something you truly love.

Thankfully Clint had the foresight to wrap his arms around Ria before she could barrel into Peggy Carter and most likely knock her off the bench. The Little squealed in his grasp, but more so in continued delight at the woman’s presence and not at his restraining her. How did Ria even know Agent Carter? And why did she call her Mrs Weasley?

“Uh, what’s going on?” Sharon asked before Clint could express his own confusion. He turned in a half circle, aiming to keep Ria behind him and out of view of their coworker. His efforts were basically futile since Ria was wriggling and squirming in his grasp, completely oblivious to the fact that she was exposing her secret.

“It’s not what it looks like,” he offered, raising his eyebrows at Sharon, hoping to convey that she needed to drop it. He would explain, but not right now. Not within earshot of the girl in question.

Sharon seemed to catch onto his silent pleading and narrowed her eyes slightly, shifting her gaze from his face, to the Little in his grip, and then back again. “I’m pretty sure it’s  _ exactly _ what it looks like, but sure...” she shrugged her shoulders, taking a step back to avoid being bumped into as the Little broke free. 

Clint rolled his eyes now, at both Sharon  _ and _ Ria. The Six Year Old had somehow managed to slip through his grasp and was now climbing onto the bench next to the older agent. Ria’s excitement was palpable, and it broke his heart a little to see her reacting to a Big like this. The girl needed a Heartmate. Badly. 

“Mrs Weasley! I missed you!” Ria exclaimed, throwing her arms around the old woman as she cuddled against her. Natty was still seated in the agent’s lap, so Ria was being careful not to jostle her baby Sister, which was really thoughtful of her considering the circumstances. 

For her part, Natty seemed quite content to share the Big’s attention, and she began to pat Ria on the head gently in Sisterly affection. It was the strangest thing in the world, watching his two Sisters get their cuddle on with a complete stranger, but Clint would continue to roll with the punches if it made the girls happy. 

Bobbi seemed less okay with the unexpected situation, and had drifted to the far side of Clint so as to keep him between herself and the newcomers. Thankfully she hadn’t started flapping or otherwise ticcing just yet. As happy as Natty and Ria were with Peggy Carter, if Bobbi started to show signs of distress, he’d without hesitation break up their little reunion and get the four of them out of there. 

Unhappy emotions  _ always _ took precedence over happy emotions, as unfair as it might seem at the time to those not upset. It’s just how their family worked. Actually, it was the only way their family  _ could _ work considering the number of triggers they had between them. 

“She okay?” Sharon interrupted Clint’s thoughts with a quick nod of her head towards were Bobbi was standing. “I’m getting really unpleasant juju vibes,” she explained, shrugging her shoulders before folding and then refolding her arms across her chest. Huh. Laura fidgeted like that around Bobbi too. 

“Unpleasant juju vibes? Is that your generation’s way of saying you sense a Little in rising distress? Because  _ honestly, _ Sharon. Why not offer her a hug instead of wasting time making up words about what you’re feeling?” Peggy Carter asked as she shook her head in what seemed to be both bewilderment and bemusement. 

Sharon turned around and shot her aunt a  _ look _ . “I can assure you Aunt Peggy that Bobbi Morse, even if she  _ were _ in distress, would not want me to hug her. Just because  _ your _ generation was all about touchy-feely Caretaking doesn’t mean that it works the same way today. Besides, I’m fairly certain Barton would  _ shoot me _ if I made a move towards his girlfriend right now.”

Clint at least had the decency to look apologetic as he moved his hand away from the waistband of his jeans once again. As protective as he was of Natty and Ria, he’d be the first to admit that Bobbi brought out a special kind of neurosis in him. He loved Natasha with all of his heart, but Bobbi was his  _ soulmate, _ so hell yes he would shoot a coworker for trying to touch her without her consent.

“Wow, the juju is strong with you now too, Barton. Seriously, guys, we’re at the fair. Relax. Let’s go on a ride. What rides does Bobbi like?” Sharon turned her attention to the dropped Little now. “Have you been on the haunted house one yet? Aunt Peggy hates jump scares so I can never convince her to go on it with me. I bet your little Sisters aren’t a fan of scary rides either, huh?”

Clint craned his neck so he could see the girl behind him, smiling a little as she nodded her head at Sharon’s question. Truthfully all three of his Sisters hated scary rides, but Bobbi was notoriously stubborn about doing things others thought she couldn’t or shouldn’t do. By framing her statement the way that she had, Sharon had all but guaranteed that the Little would suddenly want to try the ride out to prove that she wasn’t scared like her younger Siblings.

“Would you like to go on it with your Brother and me? Aunt Peggy can watch Natty and Maria while we’re gone. She used to be a SHIELD agent like us, so she’ll definitely keep them safe while we’re gone.”

Clint watched as Bobbi considered the Big’s offer, the Little’s face scrunching up in thought as she no doubt weighed the pro’s and con’s of riding something she hadn’t tried yet, at least while dropped. Her adult self hated haunted houses for the obvious overstimulation reason, but what one side of herself liked or disliked didn’t always translate to the other side. Clint was fairly certain Little Bobbi would hate it as well, but he’d been surprised by her before so was willing to give it a shot. 

It took Bobbi at least a full minute before she nodded her head in agreement to the plan. During that time Sharon had stood perfectly still and seemingly ambivalent, so as to not influence the girl’s decision. Even though Bobbi wasn’t easily swayed by the opinions and expectations of Bigs, Clint still appreciated the gesture from his coworker. He knew that not all Big’s were as amazing as Laura or Coulson, but sometimes he forgot that they also weren’t all scumbags like, well, pretty much every other Big he had known growing up. 

“Okay, awesome! Do you want to run ahead and get in line? It’s over there next to the giant slide. Your brother and I will catch up in a second,” Sharon offered, giving up her uninterested facade and replacing it with genuine excitement. Or at least it felt genuine to Clint. “I’m putting my trust in you Bobbi, so please don’t run off and get lost.” 

“I won’t gets lost! I promise!” the Little responded back, eyes wide with astonishment at the freedom suddenly thrust upon her. Clint had to admit that he’d been halfway to arguing Sharon’s suggestion that Bobbi go alone, but seeing how thrilled his Little Sister was at being given the opportunity to prove she could handle a new type of responsibility? Yeah, Sharon Carter was definitely alright in his book. 

Once the Little had taken off in the direction of the ride, he turned his attention fully on her. “Thank you,” he told her sincerely, hoping she understood what it meant to him to see her treat his soulmate with such kindness. Most Bigs at SHIELD tended to run away at the prospect of Caring for Little Bobbi, particularly in situations that might set her off. 

It had been a shock the first time Coulson had offered to babysit her while he was away on an extended mission. Granted the two of them had set their old kitchen on fire while he attempted to teach her how to bake cupcakes and brownies, but it was truly the thought that counted. Not to mention Coulson had felt so guilty about the incident that he’d paid to renovate their apartment as an apology for almost barbecuing his girlfriend. 

“You’re welcome,” Sharon responded simply, giving a little half shrug as she tried and failed to keep a smile off her face. 

Clint felt his heart skip a beat at her expression and he quickly turned away, closing his eyes and counting down from ten in his head. What the hell was happening? He could  _ not _ drop right now. It would be an absolute fucking disaster if he were to drop! Why the hell was he being affected by Sharon Carter all of a sudden?  _ Shit, _ now he really, really wanted to call Laura. 

“Hey, does Bobbi have any of her ear thingies with her? I want to distract her, not traumatize her.”

If Clint’s eyes weren’t already closed he’d have winced at the question.  _ Damnit, _ he’d forgotten the girl’s noise dampening headphones in the hotel room! They’d been in such a rush to get to the fair that he’d totally forgotten to pack them into Natty’s diaper bag! “Erm, no. Not the good ones at least. She might have some individual rubber ones in her pockets, though.  _ Fuck.” _ He balled a fist and raised it to his forehead, pressing the exposed meat of his palm against his skin to try and ward off the headache he could feel advancing. 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much everyone for the kind words and comments. *hugs everyone tightly* As it turns out I found a new job so my free time isn't going to be as much as I'd thought.... 
> 
> I also want to apologize that these chapters aren't up the the same standard of my usual writing, and that it may seem like I'm skipping over important things or scenes. It's basically that I don't want to get stuck and leave things for months anymore, so am trying to get to the end and will hopefully stick to my "no more multichapter fics" rule next time around. 
> 
> But this means you probably won't be seeing any more Ria and Peggy interactions in this fic, other than what Clint might recount in his memory moving forward. There's going to be one or two more chapters in this fic and then I'm hoping to skip ahead a bit to Ria getting a Heartmate :)

As soon as the ride began moving forward Bobbi spun around in the bench seat the three were sharing and buried her face into Sharon’s chest. The action startled Clint way more than it probably should have, since honestly, did he really expect the Eight Year Old to sit quietly and calmly through a very scary ride?

He quickly apologized to Sharon, and attempted to pull his Sister from the Big’s torso and into his own arms, but the girl wouldn’t budge. It wasn’t quite the same as Natty’s octopus mode, but the outcome was still that he couldn’t move her without potentially hurting her or setting her off emotionally. 

Sharon waved away his efforts as soon as it was clear Bobbi had no intentions of letting go, and it took all of his willpower to not simply jump out of the ride car or otherwise try to halt it’s forward motion. Bobbi didn’t  _ feel _ distressed, not yet, but the only times he’d ever seen her actively seek out the comfort of a Big were when shit was hitting the proverbial fan inside of her head. And even then it was only ever with Hand, Coulson, or Laura. 

“I should have sat in the middle so you could  _ both _ cling to me,” Sharon mused, her arms now wrapped tightly around Bobbi’s back as the girl rubbed her face against her t-shirt. Clint understood the Little was only seeking out the Big’s calming scent, but that didn’t stop his cheeks from heating up in embarrassment at her extremely intimate behavior. Sharon Carter wasn’t part of their inner network of Caretakers, so it almost felt inappropriate for Bobbi to be reacting to her this way.

“So tell me about Maria. Have you three always known she was a Little, or is this something recent?” Sharon asked as their ride car tipped back a slight bit as the track started to incline towards the second floor. They hadn’t actually entered the scary parts yet, though Clint’s heart was already pounding frantically in his chest.

“Uh, she uh…” he stammered, rubbing his face with his hands as he tried to switch tracks in his mind. 

“I’m trying to help you avoid a drop, Clint. Tell me about Maria.”

Clint already knew that’s what Sharon was trying to do but for some reason hearing her say it outright actually made him want to drop even  _ more.  _ But he couldn’t. Not here. Not on this ride. Not while Bobbi was upset, and especially not while Natty and Ria were waiting for him outside. If it were just him and Bobbi he might not have cared about dropping. Sharon seemed to know what she was doing, and he trusted that she’d get the two of them back home safely when it was over.

But it wasn’t just the two of them, and Natty needed  _ him _ right now, not a Big. Or at least his girlfriend’s adult side did, since Natty had seemed pretty comfortable with Peggy Carter just a few moments ago.

“She’s clearly younger than Bobbi, but not as young as Natty. So I’m gonna guess four? Maybe five?”

“Six,” Bobbi responded, turning her face to be able to get the word out. Their ride car was leveling off now as they neared two giant, black doors. As the doors began to open Bobbi quickly turned back around and clung even harder to Sharon’s upper body.

Clint swallowed down his own emotional turmoil and reached a hand out, stroking gently down Bobbi’s back to help try and calm her down. She hadn’t started rocking or screaming just yet, so maybe she was acting like a typical scared Eight Year Old and not specifically one with severe sensory issues? Was that even possible? Maybe Sharon’s presence was helping her in ways he didn’t even know were possible.

“She’s Six? Aww, it must be so nice to have someone closer to your age to play with, huh?” Sharon had to raise her voice a little to be heard over the sudden noise of the ride. 

Bobbi nodded her head but didn’t get a chance to answer as a sudden loud burst of ominous music enveloped their ride car. Clint held his breath, waiting for the Little to kick off into an episode, but instead of melting down she simply whimpered and raised her hands to cover her ears. 

Sharon shot Clint a  _ look, _ clearly sensing his internal flinching, and shook her head at his response. “Have you ever watch The Dog Whisperer? You’re doing that thing that dog owners do when they expect their dogs to freak out.  _ Relax, _ Clint. If I’m able to sense your unease, how do you think Bobbi feels?”

Clint had a moment of wanting to be insulted by the comparison, but then he truly thought about it and realized that Sharon was probably right. He really did need to stop freaking out whenever he thought something would upset the Little. 

“This ride is scary, Clint. This is what scared Eight Year Olds do. This is normal, I promise.” Sharon turned her focus back on the Little in her lap, alternating between rubbing her back and hugging her tightly. Clint watched as every now and then she would press a kiss to the top of Bobbi’s head, or nuzzle her face into her hair. These were all actions he’d only ever seen Agent Hand get away with, and now he was even more confused than before. 

Victoria Hand was Bobbi’s heartmate, so why was she acting like Sharon was as well?

“So back to Maria, who else at SHIELD knows?”

Clint shrugged at the question. “The three of us, Coulson, Fury, and now you.”

“Is she gonna be upset when she ages back up?”

He had to think about that for a moment. “At you? No. At me? Probably. At herself?  _ Definitely.” _ The ride was reaching its climax now and Clint had to shout to be heard over the ruckus. 

Sharon turned her head to look at him now, a sad expression etched across her face. “If there’s anything I can do to make this easier for her, I would really like to try. Please let her know that. And let her know that her secret is more than safe with me, so she doesn’t have to fire me or have me transferred to The Raft or anything.” This last part was said with a small chuckle.

Clint rolled his eyes. “You have more to fear from Romanoff and myself than you would from Hill if you tell. Nat and I have gotten very good at hiding the bodies.” He said this with as straight a face as he could muster, even though inside he was laughing a little at how wide Sharon’s eyes had grown at his statement. 

“Right, well, I’m glad we got that sorted then,” Sharon replied with a tiny smirk, clearly understanding the humor, but also the seriousness of his claim. Breaking eye contact with Clint she nudged at the Little in her arms. “Hey Bobbi-bird, the ride’s over and we’re almost back to the platform now. You did such a  _ good job _ not reacting to the noises and the flashing lights. You’re such a  _ big girl. _ Your brother and I are so proud of you.”

And there was that ache in his chest again. _ Fuck. _


End file.
